Ribbon {thin} in a variety of colors that match or coordinate with the paper

Scissors

Ruler

Corner Rounder {if you have one}

Push pin or Xacto Knife

What You’ll Do:

The first thing you’ll need to do is trim the paper down to fit the clipboard.
Turn paper over and measure with a ruler.
You’ll want the paper to be approx. 1/4 inch in from the edges of the clipboard.

Once the paper has been trimmed down to fit the clipboard,

use a corner rounder {or scissors} to gently round the corners of the paper…

Now you’ll need to flip your page over again,
and get ready to carefully make a cut out around the clip at the top…

Now set your paper aside.
Lay down newspapers ~ it’s time for some fun with the Mod Podge!
Use the large sponge brush to make long strokes from top to bottom,
of a thin layer of Mod Podge on the clipboard.

Be careful now ~ Catherine Zeta-Jones is watching you…
do you see here on the newspaper there?
She thought I did a good job… she’s smiling!
She’s calling Michael Douglas to let him know.

Now carefully lay your paper that you’ve prepared on the clipboard {color side up}.
Gently smooth it down with your hands to avoid bubbling.
As it begins to dry, if you see bubbles, you can…
carefully poke them with a pin needle, push pin or Xacto knife tip.
Card stock will really bubble, so hopefully you didn’t use it.

Let the glue completely dry {30 minutes to 1 hour}
After it has dried, it’s time to do a layer of Mod Podge on the top!
This will protect the paper.
Use long strokes from the top to the bottom again.
You can use the smaller brush to get around the clip at the top.

After you’ve applied the Mod Podge, allow it to dry completely.
Just like before, you can watch for any little bubbles,
and either poke them or gently smooth them out with your hand as it dries.
Once it has dried completely, just for fun… it’s time to add one more coat of Mod Podge.
After applying that last coat, allow it to dry completely.

Now if you want to add anything else… a photograph, letters cut out to spell a name, etc.
you can add them after the final coat has dried.
Just put a dab of Mod Podge on the back, then add Mod Podge over the entire top.
Allow to completely dry… and then on to the ribbons!

For the ribbons, I’ve found that cutting them to 8″ in length works well.
Once the clipboard is dry,
begin adding the ribbons and knotting them up at the top on the clip.
Once you’ve tied on all the ribbon, trim them down if they’re too long,
then trim the ends slightly diagonally in alternating directions.

Have fun with the colors… here’s one I made using pink paper and pink & white ribbons…

I actually have made these with painting the clipboard first as well… it looked great to start with, but after using it for several years and dropping it a few times, the only problem was that the paint chipped off and left the brown showing. 🙂

This is a fabulous idea. I wish I had seen this some time ago so I could have give as gifts. I do not plan on going to the store between now and Friday so I will have to save this for the next gift-giving holiday. Very cute.

I am making these for my daughter's friends. I have been trying to think of something reasonably priced and this is perfect! My 2 daughters are 4 and 12 and with the right paper, these are perfect for all ages. The pre-k girls can use them to color and the older girls can use them for homework. Love it! We will also be making these for their teachers.

BTW, Hobby Lobby has their scrapbook paper 1/2 off this week! .30/page!